It is that time of the year again when people start talking about the biggest individual award in the game of football-the Ballon d’Or and who deserve it. Since 2007 when Brazilian Kaka won the award, this coveted trophy has been shared between Argentine maestro Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) and Portuguese Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014) and by the look of things, the tug of war for the golden ball between these duo is not stopping anytime soon.
Romantics will be delighted to see that Leicester City, fairytale winners of the Premier League, are represented by pauper-to-prince striker Jamie Vardy and England’s players’ player of the year, Algerian Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez and Borussia Dortmund’s Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are the only players on the list who hail from outside Europe or South America.
France, with Antoine Griezmann, Hugo Lloris, Dimitri Payet and Paul Pogba, and Argentina, with Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala, are the best-represented nations with four players each.
France Football magazine, who have awarded the Ballon d’Or every year since 1956, announced the shortlist, with the winner set to be announced in January.
For the past six years it was the FIFA Ballon d’Or until world football’s governing body ended its association with the award in September.
Shortlist:
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/Argentina)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund/Gabon)
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus/Italy)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium)
Paulo Dybala (Juventus/Argentina)
Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid/Uruguay)
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/France)
Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus/Argentina)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United/Sweden)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain)
Koke (Atletico Madrid/Spain)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany)
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur/France)
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City/Algeria)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid/Croatia)
Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil)
Dimitri Payet (West Ham/France)
Pepe (Real Madrid/Portugal)
Paul Pogba (Manchester United/France)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/Spain)
Rui Patricio (Sporting/Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
Luis Suarez (Barcelona/Uruguay)
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City/England)
Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich/Chile)
